plug&playsolarsystems - nrel · building’tomorrow’senergy’future’ today: ’...

Plug & Play Solar Systems

Emerson Reiter, Project Lead, NREL Ma5 Kromer, Director of Grid Integra<on, Fraunhofer

Ins<tute Jus<n Woodard, Principal Engineer in the New Energy

Solu<ons Group, Na<onal Grid

Distributed Genera6on Interconnec6on Collabora6ve (DGIC) July 19, 2017

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2017 DGIC News and Updates •  Emerson Reiter, NREL

Upcoming Webinars:

o  U<li<es and Electric Vehicles – Preparing for the Future in September o  U<lity Aggrega<on of DER in November

Today’s Webinar: Plug & Play Solar Systems Ques6on & Answer

Agenda

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Distributed Genera6on Interconnec6on Collabora6ve (DGIC) o  Supported by the U.S. DOE SunShot Ini<a<ve o  Launched following a stakeholder workshop in Oct. 2013 o  17 webinars conducted to date

DGIC Background

Area 1: Prac6ces and Protocols

Document current best prac<ces and standards

Iden<fy replicable innova<on and consistency

Area 2: Peer Exchange

Facilitate data and informa<on exchange amongst stakeholders

Provide plaYorm for peer learning and outreach

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DGIC Planned 2017 Ac<vi<es

Area 1: Prac6ces and

Protocols

Develop case studies on leading interconnec<on prac<ces based on peer nomina<on

Execute data analysis on pre-‐applica<on repor<ng for interconnec<on applicants

Curate and share cu[ng-‐edge DG research from DOE programs

Area 2: Peer Exchange

Published “lessons learned” on community solar for municipal u<li<es DGIC blog posts

New DGIC Website: www.nrel.gov/dgic

5 webinars with u<lity & industry experts

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New Post on DGIC Insights Blog: hOps://www.nrel.gov/dgic/interconnec6on-‐insights-‐2017-‐07.html

Next Phase: Data collec6on and analysis with u6lity partners

Pre-‐Applica<on Reports Project

CA IA IL NC OH SC NY MA NH OR TotalExisting Generation Capacity Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 8Queued Generation Capacity Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 8Distribution Circuit Voltage Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 8Number of Phases Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No 8Substation Distribution Voltage Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No 7Total Capacity Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No 7Circuit Distance Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No 7Peak/Minimum Load Data Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No 7System Configuration Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No 6Protective Devices Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No 6Limiting Conductor Ratings Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No 6Constraints Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No 6Available Capacity Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No 4Total 13 13 13 12 12 12 7 6 0 0

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September 2017 U"li"es and Electric Vehicles – Preparing for the Future November 2017 U"lity Aggrega"on of Distributed Energy Resources

2017 Upcoming DGIC Webinars

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Par<cipants are joined in listen-‐only mode.

Use the Q&A panel to ask ques<ons during the webinar. To ask a ques<on: Type your ques<on in the Q&A GoToWebinar toolbar.

Logis<cs

The webinar is being recorded and will be posted on the DGIC site: hOp://www.nrel.gov/dgic.html

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Today’s Webinar: Plug and Play Solar Systems

Emerson Reiter Project Lead

NREL [email protected]

hOp://www.nrel.gov/dgic Webinar slides and recordings available here!

MaO Kromer Director of Grid Integra6on

Fraunhofer Center for

Sustainable Energy Systems CSE Boston, MA 617-‐714-‐6513

[email protected]

Jus6n Woodard, PE Principal Engineer

NES New Grid Offerings Na6onal Grid

Waltham, Ma 02451 781-‐907-‐1617

[email protected]

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Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE





[email protected]

© Fraunhofer USA 2015

Reducing the Cost of Residen<al-‐Scale PV Through “Plug & Play PV” Systems and Standardized Electronic Workflows Ma5 Kromer

July, 2017

Building tomorrow’s energy future today: The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE accelerates the adop"on of sustainable energy technologies through scien"fic research and engineering innova"on.

n  Non-‐profit, applied R&D laboratory

n  Located in Boston (MA), addi<onal laboratories in Revere (MA) and Albuquerque (NM)

n  Founded in April 2008

n  ~ 35 employees

n  Key R&D Areas

n  PV module and system technologies n  Energy efficient building enclosures n  Building energy management n  Grid integra<on of renewables n  Distributed electrical energy systems


The Plug & Play PV Ini6a6ve -‐ Overview

  Fraunhofer-‐led, mul<-‐stakeholder project funded by the DOE’s SunShot Program   Vision: Drive down the non-‐hardware soo costs of residen<al PV System through the commercializa<on of “Plug & Play” PV Systems, defined by three technical targets:

  Installa<on and commissioning <me of less than 10 hours;   Reduc<on or elimina<on of the need for specialized labor qualifica<ons during PV installa<on   Development and demonstra<on of a fully electronic PI&I (ePI&I) process

  Targeted Outcome: Develop an eco-‐system that fosters adop<on of Plug & Play PV:   Broad-‐based industry support: mul<ple vendors, installers, and distributors   Na<onal adop<on   Standardized communica<on and cer<fica<on test procedures   Mul<ple technical approaches through a porYolio of enabling technologies

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The Plug & Play PV Ini6a6ve: Project Partners

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Soh costs present the largest opportunity for driving down the cost of residen6al solar

Souce: Greentech Media

n  Lengthy and uncertain permi[ng, installa<on, inspec<on, and interconnec<on processes, supplier overhead and markups

n  Installed prices differ across countries largely due to soo costs (Seel et al. 2014, Ardani et al. 2012, Friedman et al. 2014, RMI and GTRI 2014)

n  Soo cost differences are driven partly by deployment scale, though a wide variety of other factors also likely play a role

n  Dong and Wiser (2013) found installed price differences of $0.3/W to $0.8/W between ci<es in California with the least-‐ and most-‐onerous permi[ng prac<ces

n  Burkhardt et al. (2014) found that local permi[ng procedures alone impact installed prices by $0.2/W, while the combina<on of permi[ng and other local regulatory procedures impacts prices by $0.6/W to $0.9/W

© Fraunhofer USA 2015 15

¾  A Standardized Plug & Play PV API enables a fully electronic Permi[ng, Inspec<on, and Interconnec<on (ePI&I) process

¾  An electronic “proof of compliance” methodology enables remote, streamlined code inspec<on, and reduces labor qualifica<on requirements

¾  Requirements defined in a Drao Standard ¾  PorYolio of Enabling Technologies

Enabling Plug & Play PV Systems: Approach

Sales (?) Customer Acquisi<on

Feasibility Study

Customer

Financing Organiza<on

EPC / Installer

Finalize Financing / Contract (?)

U<lity

AHJ

System Design

Plan Review

Preliminary IC Review

Construc<on

Inspec<on

Final IC Review

Project Complete!!

Enabling Plug & Play PV Systems: Standardizing Data Exchanges

  Cloud-‐based communica<ons interface transacts data between stakeholders

  Used to:   Configure Approval Processes   Create, track, and process submi5al packages for pending projects

  Perform administra<ve func<ons

  Submi5al packages based on a standardized library of data models:

  PV System Electrical Plan   Account informa<on   Premises Electrical and Structural Informa<on

  Inspec<on reports   Approval packages   …etc

Enabling Plug & Play PV Systems: Plug & Play PV API

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Enabling Plug & Play PV Systems: Electronic Proof of Compliance   Fault-‐tree based analysis of building and electrical code (NEC 2017) [8] was used to iden<fy requirements for cer<fying that a PV system can self-‐verify.

  Defined standardized, comprehensive list of criteria that a Plug & Play PV System must verify that it sa<sfies prior to energizing.

Grounding conductors are eliminated or factory-‐integrated into the racking

PV array mapping to ensure conductors are within voltage and current limits Electronic handshake with devices to verify UL lis<ng

Submi5al photographs document wire management and array layout

Verifica6on by Design Verifica6on by Self-‐Test Visual Documenta6on


A Porkolio of Enabling Technologies

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Racking: Peel & S<ck PV Modules, BIPV, Simplified racked modules

Automated Self-‐Test & Provisioning Controller

Solar Connec<on Device (e.g., Genera<on Meter Adapter)

(Wire management)

Electronics: ¾  AC Modules / Microinverters ¾  String Inverters w/“Smart” J-‐Box ¾  PV as a Class 2 Power Source

Cabling: ¾  Pre-‐fabricated cables ¾  User-‐friendly wire

management ¾  Eliminate Grounding

Conductors

Example Implementa<on: String-‐Inverter Plug & Play PV System

Category Approach Descrip6on

Grounding Design No exposed metal

Lis<ng of Components Self-‐Test Interroga<on of field-‐installed components (PV, inverter, meter collar)

Electrical topology Self-‐Test Mapping of PV string based on interroga<on of devices

Conductors & Cabling Design Class 2 wiring, pre-‐fabricated connectorized cables

Connec<on to premises wiring Design Connector inlet on meter collar provides supply-‐side tap with integrated OCPD, bypassing main service panel.

AC overcurrent protec<on Self-‐Test Interroga<on of meter collar to ascertain breaker ra<ng

Site Plan & Workmanship Visual Digital photographs of system

Example Implementa<on: AC Module Plug & Play PV System

Category Approach Descrip6on

Grounding Design Factory-‐integrated grounding conductors, UL2703 moun<ng hardware

Lis<ng of Components, topology Self-‐Test Interroga<on of field-‐installed AC Modules

Conductors & Cabling Design Pre-‐fabricated, keyed, connectorized cables

Overcurrent protec<on Self-‐Test Comparison of calculated max current to known breaker ra<ngs

AC Interconnec<on Design Supply-‐side connector inlet integrated into a standard u<lity meter socket

Site Plan & Workmanship Visual Digital photographs of system

Ongoing Work

  No en<ty has commi5ed to commercializing a turnkey “Plug & Play” PV System, but work is con<nuing on enabling technologies

  Adhesive moun<ng   Meter Collar / Genera<on Meter Adapters   Increasing Integra<on (e.g., Sub-‐combiners, Module-‐level power electronics)   Data exchange standard   Mobile-‐app based automated commissioning tool

  Comprehensive informa<on about interconnected DG system   Valida<on of “as built” system   Rou<ng of interconnec<on requests and approvals   Automated Permission to Operate

Conclusion

  Implementa<ons of two example systems, based on commercial or near-‐commercial technology

  Public demonstra<on, including live install, 6/16/2016, in Boston   Approx 1.5 hrs for two novice installers to fully install and commission the system

  Defined a drao technical standard to support industry adop<on   Standardized data exchange protocol   Lis<ng of PV Systems to a Plug & Play Standard

  Reference implementa<on of a data exchange protocol

Installed cost of $1.50 per Wa5 is achievable!!

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Na<onal Grid Massachuse5s




Waltham, Ma 02451 781-‐907-‐1617

[email protected]

Plug-and-Play Solar

NREL – 7/19/17 Justin Woodard PE

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Our US Footprint

§  Regulated Investor-Owned Utility

§  Employees

§  13,000

§  Customers

§  3,300,000 Electric

§  3,400,000 Natural Gas Source: http://www.mass.gov/eea/images/doer/energy-dashboard/landing-page-left-full.png

About National Grid

DG Activity Trends - NE

§  Received 8,549 interconnection applications representing about 190 MW thru June 2016 compared to 7,421 applications / 278 MW same period last year.

§  Small (<100kW) Interconnection application are triggering large studies because of the aggregate generation on the circuit.

Transformation

Today Tomorrow

Source: Electric Power Research Institute, “The Integrated Grid”

Importance of the Interconnection Process

§  Safety of utility workers and general public

§  No adverse impact to power quality, in terms of: §  Islanding

§  Transient Voltage Conditions

§  Noise and Harmonics

§  Frequency

§  Voltage Level

§  Reliability

The Green Communities Act

§  The Green Communities Act was passed in MA in 2008

§  Allows investor owned utilities to own, operate and recover the cost of up to 35 MW of solar generation

§  Received approval for Solar Phase I from DPU in 2009 §  5 sites; ~5 MW capacity

§  Received approval for Solar Phase II from DPU in 2014 §  18 sites; ~16 MW capacity

§  Received approval for Solar Phase III from DPU in 2016 §  ~ 12 sites; ~14 MW capacity

Possible Benefits

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Smart Grid Ready PV Inverters with Utility Communication: Results from Field Demonstrations, EPRI 2016

http://www.epri.com/abstracts/Pages/ProductAbstract.aspx?ProductId=000000003002008557

¾  Each site requires specific configuration settings based on the operational conditions in the area

Impact Study Functional Testing

Advanced Inverter Controls

Figures courtesy of EPRI

Voltage Regulation

Actual Voltage at National Grid PV Plant.

How do Customers Apply for Interconnection today?

1. Simplified <=15kW single phase / <=25kW three phase

§  Usually no system modifications

§  Occasionally, a new transformer is required

2. Expedited >15kW single phase / >25kW three phase

§  Generally no – or minor - system modifications

§  May require supplemental review

3. Standard > 500 kW (approximately)

§  Requires Impact Study, may require Detailed Study

§  Usually requires system modifications, sometimes major

Simplified Review Path

§  Submit complete, signed application

§  Approval usually within 10 business days, unless project not compatible with service

§  Install system and get Certificate of Completion (COC) signed by local wiring inspector – submit to utility with electrical permit

§  Utility will change meter for net metering

§  Utility inspects within 10 days of receipt of COC – utility can waive inspection

§  No cost to customer (95% of cases)

§  Waived Application and Witness Test Fees

§  Rapid approval

Simplified (Residential) Path

National Grid Reviews App

Customer fills out

Application

National Grid Acknowledge

Receipt of App

Construction

National Grid informs

Customer of any upgrades

needed

Commissioning

Current Residential Interconnection Process & What it could be?

§  Web Based (Portal)

§  Easier for customer’s/Installers to apply

§  Shorter time for National Grid to review

§  Take process from - 1 Month to less then 1 week

Residential Interconnection (Future)

National Grid is investigating:

§  Pre-Application support – Customer web tools, used to identify where Distributed Energy Resources (“DER”) would benefit the system the most, and/or provide the best value to the customer

§  Advanced Analytic Support – Comprehensive PV forecasting, and system wide impact analysis, utilized to support planning, operations, and Customer tools

§  Streamlined interconnection for simple residential applications (via Plug and Play type programs)

§  Foundational IS improvements to provide for future integration with operations Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS)

Future of Solar

§  Make interconnections easier/ faster for customers

§  Lower cost of system/ interconnections for customers

§  Increase renewable generation in our service territory

§  Make renewables available to as many customer as possible

How Plug and Play Solar Aligns with Utility goals?

How Plug & Play aligns with Utilities

§  Aids in the increase of renewable generation

§  Opportunities to automate simple interconnections

§  Opportunities to use software for routing interconnection requests (standardized communications for ease of data integration)

§  Streamline internal processes and decrease the interconnection labor required by the Utility

§  Create options and add more value to our customers

Questions

Justin Woodard, PE New Energy Solutions

National Grid 40 Sylvan Road

Waltham, Ma 02451 T: (781) 907-1617

[email protected]

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Today’s Webinar: Plug and Play Solar Systems

Emerson Reiter Project Lead

NREL [email protected]





[email protected]



Waltham, Ma 02451 781-‐907-‐1617

[email protected]

QUESTIONS?

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